


I Shallot Cry

by Jbee



Series: Gates of Askr: Year One [20]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24376504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jbee/pseuds/Jbee
Summary: Kiran has lost all of her adventure funds to gambling, however Gaius has offered her a chance she won't refuse to make it all back!
Relationships: Guire | Gaius/Summoner | Eclat | Kiran
Series: Gates of Askr: Year One [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1703545
Kudos: 4





	I Shallot Cry

**Author's Note:**

> This series is a collection of short stories driven by the FEH Subreddit Weekly Writing Prompts. First published May 12, 2020. "The Summoner is trapped in a room with a Hero, and they can only leave when one of them cries..."

Kiran analyzed the three small identical wooden houses in front of her. Their brown, knotty walls and polished red roofs, each one hollowed out, but only one of them contained the gumball underneath. “That one.” She said with confidence, pointing to the middle house.

He squinted and rolled the sucker in his mouth to the other cheek with his tongue. “You sure summoner?” Gaius asked, raising an eyebrow as he leaned back with his arms crossed, waiting patiently for her to make a selection.

Rain pelted the windows of the small abandoned farmhouse they found that morning. Cherche had decided that the group would take shelter in the farmhouse for the night after the rains began. It was small and dirty, but it was dry and Kiran was looking forward to sleeping somewhere with a roof over her head.

She narrowed her eyes and tried to get a read on the emotionless red-headed thief. “Yeees…” Kiran answered with a little less confidence. _He’s just trying to throw me off again,_ she thought to herself, _I know it’s that one._ “Yes. That one. Final answer!”

It had been about a week since Kiran set out on her first mission fighting alongside the other heroes. The journey so far had been uneventful after their scuffle on the first day, but the team was making good time and they were less than a week away from their destination. Kiran had taken this time to learn a few odd curses and dispels from Henry, while Cherche taught her about wyvern care and handling. Gaius seemed friendly enough, with the others, but she was starting to notice that he was keeping her at arm’s length no matter what she did to get to know him. She wanted to win him over and she had watched him play his ball and cups game at a few of the taverns they stopped at along their trip, so she asked that she try it out that afternoon, just a fun way to break the ice.

Gaius gave a short snort as he picked up the middle house that Kiran had chosen to reveal empty air. “Aaaand that makes it forty for yours truly, zero for the summoner!” he laughed as he snatched up her coins from the table and tucked them in his pouch.

“No! No! I was sure it was that one!” Kiran exclaimed, hitting the table with her fists, the other small houses rattled as she did. “Again!” she demanded, she was determined to win at least one game to prove her worth.

He laughed at her again, leaning on the table and removing the sucker from his mouth. “I don’t know; your coin purse is looking a bit deflated there.” He told her, pointing at the small leather purse to Kiran’s side. “Buut if you really want to play again we can talk about you sharping my daggers for a week.”

“Deal!” Kiran shouted, pushing herself up and reaching out to shake on it.

“No deal.” Cherche interrupted the two, slamming the book she had been reading close, and raising from her seat near the fire. “Gaius, stop torturing Kiran.” She told him pulling a satchel strap over her head. “Now, I’m taking Minerva into town to pick-up some supplies, could you please have dinner prepared for when I return. I believe it’s Kiran’s turn?

“Sure thing Captain!” Gaius said standing up and stacking the wooden houses before he put them in his bag. “I’m sure she can make something exquisite with the scraps we have.” He sarcastically added, popping the gumball into his mouth.

“Just try to get along while I’m away.” Cherche told them, reaching for the door. “I don’t want another cherry tree incident, okay?” She added as she left the farmhouse.

This wasn’t the first time Kiran had heard Cherche bring up the “cherry tree incident” but it never seemed like a good time to asked about it. She sighed and looked over to the pile of supplies they had in their makeshift kitchen. There wasn’t much left to work with, a block of old cheese, half a loaf of bread, a sack of onions, and a hare they had caught overnight.

“Don’t worry Kiran, I will help you clean our catch!” Henry piped up, while sitting at the window playing with a large spider. He had spent the afternoon there quietly throwing dead flies in its web until he was able to coax it into his hand. “It’s my favorite part!” he smiled over at her.

Kiran forced a smile back, and nodded her head. Any help was good help, and she wasn’t particularly fond of butchering.

“Tell you what summoner.” Gaius whispered in Kiran’s ear, leaning on the back of her chair with his arms. “You get Chuckles over there to cry and I’ll return the money you lost today.” He shook the small pouch of coins just outside her view as he proposed his wager.

“And if I don’t?” Kiran asked, not looking back at him, the overpowering smell of vanilla reached her nose.

“My laundry.” Gaius chuckled, “For the rest of our mission.”

“Fine.” Kiran nonchalantly said, shrugging her shoulders. She didn’t want to seem too eager or too up-tight about playing his games. Besides, how hard could it be, Henry already seemed un-hinged, maybe he just needed a little emotional push. She looked over to the gray haired mage by the window.

“OWCH!” he cried out, as the spider sunk its fangs into Henry’s hand. He laughed, as the critter scrambled away. “I guess spiders don’t much care for tummy rubs!” the mage just smiled, as he held up a bloody finger for the others to see.

Kiran swallowed hard, as she watched Henry happily wrap his injured finger up. This might be harder then she originally thought.

“Well as much as I would love to stay and watch, I think I need to get in some heavy stretching. Maybe some lunges?” Gaius laughed squeezing Kiran’s shoulders, “If you need me I’ll be on the porch. Oh and summoner, you do know how to get stains out of whites, right?” he said, giving Kiran a mischievous grin as he left the farmhouse.

“Damn it.” Kiran whispered under her breath. Why was she trying so hard to impress him? Why did she even care? Now she was out of spending money for the rest of the mission, not that she would have any free time after Gaius’s laundry was added to her already hefty list of chores she had from Cherche. Kiran groaned and dropped her head down on the table.

“So most people make the mistake of pulling up too hard!” Henry dropped the hare down on the table across from her, causing Kiran to sit up startled. “What you really want to do is pull at a parallel angle in one swift movement. Comes off like a glove!” he laughed, making a pulling motion with his hands and pushing up his sleeves.

Kiran felt her stomach heave as she watched Henry show her the ins and outs of preparing game for dinner. She felt the familiar sting of tears beginning to form in her eyes. _I’m not going to cry, no! I can’t leave until he does!_ Kiran thought to herself, _come on think. Think!_

“Okay what’s next?” Henry asked, washing his hands in the basin after discarding the unusable parts. “Oh. Are you still upset about losing at that game? Don’t worry, I always lose too!” he told her, noticing Kiran state. Henry smiled and picked up a couple of spring onions waving them around his head, “You could say he is a bit of a _rap-scallion_!” he laughed as he tried to cheer her up.

Kiran’s eyes widen, _That’s it!_ She thought as she looked at the goofy mage dance around with the vegetables. “Henry, you’re a genius!”” She cried out, jumping out of her seat and grabbing Gaius’s spectacles and a kerchief, as well as the sack of onions. “Now sit down.” she told him as she pulled a large knife from her belt. Kiran smiled “Oh, and don’t move.”

“Okay!” Henry was happy to oblige.

* * *

“Gaius, what in the world are you doing?” Cherche called out as she emerged from the tree line to find Gaius doing jumping jacks while rubbing what appeared to be stink weed over his clothes. The late afternoon sun was trying to shine through gaps the gray clouds.

“Welcome back Captain!” Gaius gasped, as he tried to toss-kick the green branches away. “I’m just…”

“You know what, forget it. I don’t want to know.” Cherche told him before he could make up any excuses. “Is dinner prepared? I just fed Minerva and I’m famished.” She asked, stepping onto the porch.

The door of the farmhouse flung open, hitting the side of the house and rattling the hinges. Henry stepped out from the shadows, his eyes watery and red, and the top of his collar soaked and stained as tears ran down his cheeks. He began to sniff and wheez as the fresh air hit his face. “Dinner is…” he announces choking back more tears, “served!”

“What the!?” Gaius exclaimed, shocked when he saw Henry’s face.

“Henry! Whatever happened…” Cherche began to ask, stopping when the smell of dinner followed the mage out on to the porch. “My goodness, what is that aroma?”

“French Onion Soup.” Kiran, proudly said, pulling down the scarf around her face, and putting the protective eyewear on her head. “I figured it would be a _shame_ to let all these onions go to waste.”

“Very good Kiran.” Cherche told her, as she entered the house, “You as well Henry.” She smiled, and the teary mage followed her in.

Kiran grabbed on to Gaius sleeve as he walked by. “I think you own me something.” She told him with a grin and an open palm.

Gaius snorted again, shaking his head as he dropped his coin pouch into her open hand, “Well played, summoner,” he smirked, and held open the door for Kiran. “Well played.”

End.


End file.
